Python is a high-level object-oriented programming language that has gained immense popularity in the world of web development.
The first stable release of Python happened in the year 1991 by Guido Van Rossum.
Till 2017, Python was given the title as the fastest-growing programming language, but in 2018, it has been crowned as the “Best programming language.”
Its simplicity in syntax and relatively shorter length of the code make it all the more approachable.
Working with Python is not as complicated as working with other programming languages as the programmer can concentrate more on the solution to the problem rather than on the program syntax.
What is a GUI (Graphical User Interface)?
The GUI is a graphical and visual user interface that allows the users to interact with electronic devices. At first, it was developed at Xerox PARC by Alan Kay and Douglas Engelbart in the year 1981.
The reason that GUI has become more popular is that unlike Operating Systems that work on the command line and CUI like MS-DOS or UNIX, we need not memorize the commands which makes it all the more to learn.
It uses windows, icons, and menus to follow the commands like deleting or moving files. And to interact with the aspects of GUI, what we need is just a pointing device such as a mouse or a keyboard, or any other input device.
Most Popular Python GUI frameworks
Despite having a vast number of programming languages, Python is still in the lead and has managed to win the title of the best programming language in 2018.
The ease with which this language can be learned and the interactive nature of Python has made Python a desirable choice among web developers like GroupBWT.
At some point in time, Python will require a GUI (Graphical User Interface), and Python is blessed with many.
Getting started with programming a GUI framework is not a very hectic task.
From cross-platform frameworks to platform-specific frames, the most commonly and popularly used Python-GUI toolkits as of 2018 are as follows.
1. PyQT
It is one of the famous sets of v2 and v3 Python bindings developed by Riverbank Computing Limited. It runs on all platforms supported by QT including Windows, OS X, Linux, iOS, and Android.
PyQT is in two editions: PyQT4 which is built against QT 4.x and QT 5.x and PyQT5 which is built against 5.x alone.
Both these editions work well with Python 2 as well as Python 3. GPL version 3 or a commercial license.
Although some of its features are not available in the free version if the application that you are working on is open-source you will be able to use it under the free license.
PyQT is a Graphical User Interface that combines the best of both QT and Python, and then it is up to the programmer to decide whether to use QT designer or coding for a program.
2. Kivy
Kivy is an MIT-licensed GUI that is based on the OpenGL ES 2 framework that is used for the creation of new user interfaces.
It is an open-source Python library that is used for the rapid development of web applications. It is a framework that is built around the main loop which makes it very suitable for game development.
This toolkit is professionally developed, maintained, and used as a commercial product. This framework is highly stable with a well-documented API, and Kivy’s graphics engine also uses a modern and fast graphics pipeline.
It consists of more than 20 highly extensible widgets. Kivy also runs on almost all platforms like Windows, Linux, OS X, and Android.
3. Tkinter
In a straightforward and sophisticated language, Tkinter can be regarded as the “Standard” GUI framework in Python.
It is a framework that is wrapped to Python with the help of Tk which is a simplified graphical interface and language.
There is a wide range of benefits for the end-users to choose Tkinter which includes its simplicity, vast number of resources including books and code samples, and a large community of users who are always ready to help you in case of any problem or confusion.
It is open-source and is directly available under the Python license. It is considered to be the most popular GUI framework used in Python.
4. PyGUI
In comparison with the above toolkits, PyGUI is more straightforward, but it is available only for Unix, Macintosh, and Windows platforms.
It was developed by Dr. Greg Ewing at the University of Canterbury with the objective to create a GUI API that is designed specifically for Python, i.e. to make use of Python’s unique language features and a GUI that runs smoothly with Python data types.
If you are a newbie into this field and are looking for something which is very simple and quick to learn, this toolkit will be the best choice for you.
5. PySide
Pyside is a cross-platform application that can be considered as a fantastic alternative when it comes to selecting a Python library.
It is available free of cost just like Tkinter. Nokia, a well-known mobile manufacturing company, is one of the prominent users of this Python toolkit.
The platforms that it supports include Windows, Mac OS X, Maemo, and Linux. The prime strength of PySide is its perfect compatibility with API with PYQT 4x which makes the migration happen in a very swift manner.
6. WxPython
WxPython is another open-source framework that is used as a wrapper to be used for WxWidgets, which was primarily known as WxWindows.
This is a cross-platform GUI library that is developed in the C++ programming language.
It runs along with the platforms of Windows, Unix, and Mac. Apart from the extensive resources for initial application development, programmers can use other tools like 2D Path drawing API, and widgets for text editing and word processing.
7. Libavg
Libavg is another high-level development platform that is coded in C++ and uses Python as a scripting language and modern OpenGL for display output. libavg runs on Linux, Mac OS X. It is an open source and is licensed under LGPL.
Some of the commercial and artistic projects that worked are Sponc, c-base scanner, SimMed, etc.
Conclusion
These are the most popular and useful GUI frameworks that are extensively used by Python developers in 2021.
The trends of these toolkits change every year and these are the frameworks that are ruling this year.
Being the most desired choice among programming languages, it would be beneficial for you to go deep into its necessary details.
If it happens you need someone to do your GUI Python framework assignment in college or university, try help with Python homework provided by experts from AssignmentCore.
1 comment
Thank you for this informative post on Python GUI frameworks! As a web developer, I found it particularly helpful to learn about the different options available, including Flask and Django. The comparison chart is especially useful for making a quick comparison between the different frameworks. I appreciated the author’s insights and recommendations, and I will definitely be referring back to this post as I explore GUI development in Python.